Windscale fire
E813969
The Windscale fire was a major 1957 nuclear reactor accident in the UK, considered one of the worst nuclear disasters in British history and a key event in the development of nuclear safety regulations.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
industrial disaster
ⓘ
nuclear reactor accident ⓘ |
| associatedWith | British nuclear weapons development NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cause |
graphite core fire
ⓘ
inadequate reactor temperature monitoring ⓘ insufficient safety procedures ⓘ overheating during Wigner energy release ⓘ |
| considered | one of the worst nuclear accidents in British history ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| date | 1957-10-10 ⓘ |
| endDate | 1957-10-12 ⓘ |
| exposedPopulationEstimate | hundreds of thousands of people ⓘ |
| fatalitiesDirect | 0 confirmed immediate deaths ⓘ |
| fatalitiesEstimatedLongTerm | dozens to hundreds of possible cancer deaths ⓘ |
| governmentResponse |
milk distribution ban in affected regions
ⓘ
secrecy and limited initial public information ⓘ |
| hasEffect |
contamination of surrounding areas
ⓘ
increased thyroid cancer risk in exposed population ⓘ release of radioactive caesium-137 ⓘ release of radioactive contamination ⓘ release of radioactive iodine-131 ⓘ release of radioactive polonium-210 ⓘ |
| influenced |
development of modern nuclear safety culture in the UK
ⓘ
public perception of nuclear power in Britain ⓘ |
| investigatedBy | Penney Report NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legacy |
case study in reactor safety and risk management
ⓘ
example of early nuclear accident under Cold War secrecy ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Cumbria
ⓘ
England ⓘ |
| location |
Sellafield site
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Windscale nuclear facility NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| longTermConsequence |
changes in UK nuclear safety regulations
ⓘ
increased regulatory oversight of nuclear facilities ⓘ shutdown of Windscale Pile 1 ⓘ shutdown of Windscale Pile 2 ⓘ stricter reactor safety standards in the UK ⓘ |
| numberOfReactorsInvolved | 1 ⓘ |
| operator | United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Cold War ⓘ |
| precededBy | early UK weapons plutonium production program ⓘ |
| reactorName | Windscale Pile 1 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reactorTypeInvolved | air-cooled graphite-moderated reactor ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reportPublicationStatus | initially classified ⓘ |
| severityRating | INES level 5 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| startDate | 1957-10-10 ⓘ |
| timePeriod | October 1957 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.